Hello All,
I have what I think is a little unique situation, and I would welcome the advice and recommendations of knowledgeable individuals.
I have grown frustrated with paying for Electricity in Northern CA. PG&E is reportedly the most expensive power in the US. And they continue to raise their rates to satisfy stock holders. So, I am looking at a hybrid solar system which incorporates batteries, solar panels, inverters, and phase perfect. My logic may be flawed, but my idea is to install a system that will pay for itself in 8 to10 years by setting my energy costs at the price financing the project, and making my future energy costs immune to increasing PG&E rates. With a little luck, I hope to not have to invest significantly more over the anticipated 25 to 30 year lifespan of the system.
A little context might help. My shop is serviced by a 200amp 3 phase delta system with two legs of 124v and one leg of 217v potential to neutral. This leg is often referred to as the stinger leg. The voltage between any two legs is 248v +/-. I am in a rural area.
From an IO group I belong to:
I am sizing the system to manage my largest potential electrical load. That is my TimeSaver wide belt sander with a 15hp main motor and a 1hp feed belt motor. Add to this is the 3hp dust collector for a total of 19hp potential. In truth, I rarely, if ever, operate the sander to its max. Startup of the dust collector can be delayed until the sander has powered up to minimize the inrush current.
My shop roof has room for seventy five 410 watt panels. However, I am starting out with 44 with the plan to add more as needed. I have not yet determined the size of the battery bank. I currently use around 1100kwh per month, and expect that to increase with time.
Things get a little complicated. A single three phase Sol-Ark hybrid inverter that would handle the load is a 30KW model, and it might be too small. So to be safe, I would need to step up to their 60KW model. The downsides are they require really high battery voltages, and they only output 480v, so a downstream transformer is needed. On the plus side, since these units output 3 phase power, a phase converter is not needed. These Sol-Ark 3 phase hybrid inverters are a more expensive option.
The other option under consideration is installation of three Sol-Ark 15KW hybrid single phase inverters in parallel. Each of these has a rated capacity of 50 amps. These would send power to a 20hp Phase perfect. Phase Technologies says to provide around 150% of the load the phase converter would need at full capacity. The 20hp phase converter requires 111amps at rated capacity.
All of these inverters will still be connected to utility power. So, if I use more power than my system provides, utility power will flow through to my equipment. I will also have the ability so sell power back to the utility at 25% of what they will sell it back to me. Such a deal!!!. I don't plan to do this. I would rather invest more in batteries, or an electric vehicle that can serve as the extra battery storage. Lots of options and more are in the offing as the technology develops,
I will start installing panels next week. Soon, I will need to make a choice with respect to inverters, phase converter, and batteries. I would welcome any suggestions and advice, especially as to the use of phase converters with inverters.
Feel free to email me directly or to the group as a whole. I'm sure some might enjoy the discourse.
